Chapter 193 Chapter 192 Jealousy
The welcoming that George and his companions received was somewhat akin to that of a tribe tormented by hunger, where no other hunters could catch any game, yet he alone brought in a mammoth.
Duke Kasong personally took George’s hand and asked him again whether he intended to rule over a piece of land in his homeland. The people of Barto living there would lead happy lives because of George’s virtues and would be grateful.
He also hinted that perhaps the entire duchy might have a chance to bask in George’s virtues in the future.
Hearing this, Jima touched the ear of the orange cat in her arms and whispered, “Learn from them how to offer compliments.”
They speak so sweetly about picking a husband by undermining others.
Lianxi the cat seemed to understand somewhat, nodding and widening her eyes as she stared at Duke Kasong.
Naturally, George once again directly refused, stating that his ambitions did not lie in that direction.
Duke Kasong smiled, indicating he understood; every year, quite a number of knights abandon worldly possessions, mount their beloved warhorses, and become adventure knights. They go searching for challenges in hopes of winning the favor of the lake goddess, drinking from the sacred cup to attain longevity, and fighting for the goddess forever.
The two talked a lot more.
Today’s focus was on George, and there was basically no share for Jima in the accolades.
Not only because of Jima’s special status; if it weren’t for George’s fame, even though Duke Kasong accepted Jima, a demon, to fight alongside them, the knights below would not have agreed.
Most importantly, in the view of many knights, including Duke Kasong, Jima herself had not contributed much.
Indeed, even if George wrote battle reports detailing Jima’s contributions in extensive texts and directly told Duke Kasong, every victory in extraordinary battles, the army avoiding ambushes time and again, and foiling the beastmen’s cunning plots were all credited to Jima.
But from the knights’ perspective, the duties Jima performed—scouting, conveying messages, and logistics—were fundamentally lowly tasks typically done by farmers.
It was only because Sam, recently knighted, recognized Jima’s kind heart that he specially bought them a new book from the Pale Ones (they had yet to see the second half). In front of Duke Kasong, he praised Jima a few times.
He said she fought valiantly, wielding a long-handled axe with impressive prowess, never leaving a beastman alive after delivering the first blow, causing terror among the beastmen. When a beastman chief with long raven-like wings resisted stubbornly, she went up and dispatched him with a single blow.
He completely omitted the fact that the chief had already been nearly chopped into a stick by George.
Under Sam’s boastful words, Duke Kasong finally took a proper look at the succubus, who was dozing off in a reclining chair while holding a cat. He specially awarded Jima a reward to be passed on to her through George.
Upon hearing the word “reward,” Jima, who was almost asleep, instantly woke up, her golden eyes sparkling.
Just then, George approached Jima and said, “The matters are settled; we can go rest.”
“Don’t say that; hurry up and divide the spoils.” Jima, holding the snoring cat, followed, “Eh, where’s Frostleaf?”
“She said she looked down on human rewards and left first.”
Of course, Duke Kasong wasn’t foolish enough to publicly award Eve Frostleaf, causing himself trouble; he asked George to pass the reward to Eve Frostleaf.
“Since she looks down on human belongings,” Jima said, “if she’s so noble, then just don’t give her part.”
Her tail swayed back and forth like a dog’s.
“No way.”
“Sigh.” Jima sighed, “Really, you don’t help others at all.”
The two walked through the crowd, and George declined at least five distinguished knights. Each knight, proud like a rooster, stepped forward to introduce themselves.
George still refused one by one.
Finally, they managed to leave the main camp, and neither noticed a pair of envious eyes following their departing figures.
The Black Knight felt that George was targeting him, as his gaze seemed to repeatedly sweep over him, intentionally or unintentionally.
Ever since the knight tournament where George had beaten him, the Black Knight remained haunted by it.
However, it was fortunate that George, being lecherous, didn’t attend the honor gatherings, busy enjoying himself with his succubus servant.
The bard next to him, sensing that his master needed praise, raised his voice, clashing two coconut shells together loudly, like the sound of hooves, singing praises of the founding knight king and the twelve knights, as well as their gallant performance in the charge.
Of course, the one being praised was the Black Knight.
Servants raised the Black Knight’s horns, which had been pried off the giant horned bull, higher, attracting more attention to him.
After all, few people could find giant horned bulls, and even fewer could survive against one.
After enjoying some praises, the Black Knight felt much better. At least after George’s departure, he was the most valiant knight in the crowd; even George had no spoils larger than his.
The Black Knight said to others, “He has a succubus to patrol for him, so he can keep finding weaker beastmen to fight.”
Thinking this way, his psychological balance improved significantly.
“Esteemed valiant knights.” At that moment, Duke Kasong personally held up a nearly face-sized scale overhead and stated, “Thanks to the dragon slayer George, the fearsome dragon demon Karak has been slain under his sword.”
The crowd erupted in cheers, some praising George for his humility, as he did not accept such great honors on the spot.
The Black Knight stared at the scale and then at his own giant bull horn, feeling increasingly ordinary, unable to tolerate it, while the sound of the bard clashing coconut shells grew more and more unpleasant.
He grabbed the coconut shells, broke them, and then cut off the giant bull horn with his sword before turning to leave.
Of course, George and Jima were completely unaware of this commotion, just as they didn’t know that someone was watching them with jealousy.
“That’s unfair,” George said. “Clearly your contributions are on par with mine, yet you are completely overlooked.”
“I can understand those knights,” Jima said lightly. “Just like war enthusiasts, they rarely pay attention to logistics and scouts during battles; they prefer to focus on the actual combat, and the epics that endure often depict the heroic figures in battle.”
It’s like in video game competitions, audiences are more focused on the DPS positions, mesmerized by their excellent maneuvers, but few notice the support.
“No, I need to clarify this with them.”
“You’ve made yourself clear enough, George.”
“I’m speaking the truth; why do they still overlook you? It’s really hard to understand.”
“If speaking the truth can change others’ values,” Jima said, “then I should be shining brightly now.”
Jima didn’t care at all about how others viewed her; she was indifferent. Regardless of whether others valued her contributions, her share would not be lessened.
George sighed, remained silent, and started to divide the rewards.
Outside, servants carried in the rewards.
They laid down pieces of glimmering silverware or golden cups, or magical trinkets in front of them.
“By the way, can you compensate me for this unfairness?” Jima said. “Look at how completely ignored I was today. Just give me one percent more, and I won’t be sad.”
“That’s a different matter.”
“Tch, stingy.”
“Dragon-slaying George.” At the tent entrance, a servant responsible for distributing the rewards bowed respectfully and said, “Here are your silver spurs, and your armor is being repaired; it will be returned to you soon.”
“Is there any armor suitable for knights?”
“None of that. Duke Kasong originally wanted to give you a gilded breastplate, but thought it didn’t match the overall simple style of your armor.”
George sighed again. He didn’t know who had carelessly said his armor was simple and practical; it was clearly ugly.
